Ali Abdelaziz swung at Eric Nicksick backstage at UFC Apex

MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz took a swing at Xtreme Couture head coach Eric Nicksick backstage following Saturday night's UFC event at the Apex, according to multiple sources.

The incident occurred after Manel Kape's third-round TKO of Kyoji Horiguchi in the main event, as first reported by TheStarched and Blake Avignon. Kape trains under Nicksick at Xtreme Couture and is represented by Abdelaziz, making the confrontation particularly odd given the result likely earned Kape a flyweight title shot. The two were separated and Abdelaziz was removed from the venue, per MMA Mania.

Strickland-Kape exchange follows Apex incident

The altercation sparked a social media war days later between Nicksick protege Sean Strickland and Kape. Strickland posted that Abdelaziz "could offer me a billion dollars to manage me and I'd tell him to get f*cked because I'm an American." Kape fired back at Strickland, writing that the former middleweight champion "had the chance to say all that to him in person, but you said nothing."

Abdelaziz has been involved in multiple incidents at MMA events over the years. Video surfaced in 2018 of him and client Kamaru Usman brawling in the crowd at a PFL event in New York. One year later at another PFL show, he punched manager Abe Kawa in the face. At UFC 268 in 2021, he slapped Dillon Danis.

What remains unclear is what sparked Abdelaziz to target Nicksick, one of the sport's most respected coaches. The UFC has historically taken a hands-off approach to manager conduct, though punching a coach may cross a different line than previous incidents.

Reported via:

• MMA Mania — Post-fight puncher: MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz attacked coach Eric Nicksick following UFC Apex event